The present invention relates to a broadcasting program displaying system and device for displaying many pieces of information to the user without confusion as a broadcasting program video picture plane and a user interface picture plane for controlling a broadcasting program displaying device for the user when viewing a video.
The following displaying techniques have been employed in the prior art to display many pieces of information.
As disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-279966 (published on Oct. 22, 1996), the so-called scroll display has been used. According to this scroll display, a large number of items of display information are displayed onto a virtual display picture plane, which is actually displayed only to an area of a display picture plane, parallel movement is executed in the display area, thereby displaying a partial area where desired information exists.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-73385 (published on Mar. 18, 1997), the so-called multi-window display has been used. According to this multi-window, display information is functionally subdivided and each subdivided information is displayed as an individual window. Windows are overlapped so as to display any desired window to the most front portion of the picture plane, and to thereby be displayed.
In case of describing data broadcasting services for digital broadcasting, various items of information for related program have been displayed so as to cover the front of a broadcasting program video.
On the contrary, in case of a remote controller which has been generally used, there is displayed only information which is necessary and sufficient to control a finite number of functions (such as time display and modes, e.g., play, fast forward in a broadcasting program display device) which is contained in equipment which is a control target.
The implementation of digitalization, multimedia, and multichannel have spread in fields peripheral to a television/broadcasting program displaying device such as digital television broadcasting and a television with the Internet connecting function.
This influences the usage of a viewing form what is called a xe2x80x9cviewing while displaying another videoxe2x80x9d such that while displaying program video as an original target of a television and broadcasting program displaying device, a large number of pieces of information other than the program video are displayed. Specifically speaking, an electronic program guide (EPG) is received as digital data as well as broadcasting data, a program which the user wants to view is selected from a great number of programs in the multichannel, the television/broadcasting displaying device is connected to the Internet on the basis of a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) for linking information on world wide web, and information relating to the program is accessed, thereby employing the above-mentioned viewing form.
In accordance with the change in viewing form, increasing a large number of items of information which the user obtains, an area to display the information is needed to be extremely large. Thus, the area to display the information is insufficient for a single picture plane of a television. The resolution of normal television receiver might be low in case of displaying a character, so that the character data occupies a relatively large area in a displaying picture plane and further it is apt to come short of displaying picture plane. In order to supplement the area of displaying picture plane, as mentioned above in the description of the prior art, the selective display of information results in increasing an area virtually.
However, the aforementioned prior art is utilized as means for displaying all of the many number of items of information to the same picture plane, and to thereby hidden a part of the program video which should be an original target of the television/broadcasting program displaying device. As a consequence, this might cause a situation such that the user forgets to view the program video and information instead thereof is mainly displayed or the like, that is, a preposterous situation. This also makes the operation complicated and confused, in other words, the user must select his desired information to be displayed, remember the existing place, and the like. Therefore, to allow the program video display to take a main part, the prior art has a problem to be solved that a method of displaying other information should be improved in some way.
Contrarily, remote control enables only instruction or display of a finite number of functions which have been prescribed in advance. Accordingly, in case of adding another function to a video/television device, it is incapable of additionally another instruction or display to operate the function.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of displaying information regarding a program when mainly viewing a program video without making the user""s operation complicated and confused, and a broadcasting program displaying device to implement the method. It is also an object of the present invention to a user interface which enables the function to be added to the broadcasting program displaying device on software and further instruction to the additional function to be realized.
To solve the problems, according to the present invention, a picture plane is constructed by two-picture plane comprising a picture plane 1 for displaying a program video and further a picture plane 2. The program video is displayed to the picture plane 1 and an operating picture plane and program-related information are displayed to the picture plane 2.
By the construction, a display picture plane is divided into the picture plane for program video and the picture plane for displaying the property information and the action state of the device, and therefore, it is possible to widen a picture plane area whereby the user can view both picture planes at the same time and browse the program-related information and the operating state and auxiliary related information.
Thus, it is capable of easily utilizing the viewing form to view the program video mainly and simultaneously view the related information, preventing the user""s operation from being complicated and confusing.
According to the present invention, there is provided a broadcasting program displaying device comprising: a video input unit such as a tuner; an input selector for selecting a program video which is inputted from the video input unit; a video output unit for outputting a video from the input selector; a property information obtaining unit for obtaining program property information as property information regarding the program video; a property information output unit for displaying to the user an action state of the device and program property information which is obtained from the property information obtaining unit as a video; and a control unit for controlling each unit.
Further, the broadcasting program displaying device may have: a storage; a video recording unit for recording the program video, which is selected by the input selector, to the storage; a property information recording unit for recording the program property information, which is obtained by the property information obtaining unit, to a program property information list that is provided to the storage; a property information reproduce unit for obtaining property information of recorded programs, which is arbitrarily designated among the program property information that has been already recorded to the storage; a video replay unit for reading out of the storage, a video of recorded programs, which is arbitrarily designated among videos of the recorded programs that have been already recorded to the storage, and play backing the read-out recorded program video; and a video switching unit for switching the recorded program video from the video replay unit and the selected video selected by the input selector. The aforementioned broadcasting program displaying device may also have an instruction input unit.
Furthermore, the broadcasting program displaying device may have a program execution unit which can execute an arbitrary program, and the state of program execution may be displayed to the picture plane 2, thereby displaying the execution situation of the program.
The user connects to the broadcasting program displaying device with the above-described construction, a device comprising a display (output) device and an input device and a user interface displayed by a second display picture plane. He also operates the broadcasting program displaying device by an input from the interface. Thus, it is possible to provide a broadcasting program displaying device for enabling arbitrary change in action of the broadcasting program displaying device such as replay, recording, and action standby. It is also possible to support to obtain a function and information which relate to the program viewing and are convenient such as obtaining of the program-related information by browsing the world wide web. Further, it is possible to make software version-up, for instance, adding a new function to the broadcasting program displaying device. Moreover, it is capable of providing a broadcasting program displaying device for implementing the automation of actions by a software program.
Note that the program-related property information denote a program outline, in other words, broadcasting channel of each program, time information such as starting time and ending time, title of each program, cast, plot, etc. The program-related property information may include property for describing a person and an object which appear in the program video, further a video, audio, a document, and a drawing for explaining the contents of the program auxiliarily, and a character train and a data string for indicating positions where they exist.
The foregoing construction enables the user to browse a broadcasting station, a channel, starting/ending time, title, contents which relate to a program, and the device to act therein, using the information. The user views the description for a person and an object which appear in the program by a second picture plane which is different from that of the program video, so that the user can understand the program well. Further, the user obtains the description for the person and object which appear in the program by a different service provider and therefore, can understand the program well.
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a broadcasting program displaying device further comprising a clock, wherein when the user stores the property information which has been already obtained arbitrarily, especially, a channel of the program, and starting/ending time, recording is reserved to be performed automatically. As a consequence, it is able to provide a recording reserving function utilizing the program property information.
It is noted that the above-expressed broadcasting program displaying device may be constructed by employing a personal computer as a core. This enables providing of a broadcasting program displaying device using a personal computer. Accordingly, it is able to utilize a higher processing capacity, add a new function, and widen the life style around the user""s program viewing.
It is sufficient to display a part of property information, which is displayed to the picture plane 2, to the picture plane 1 as the necessity may arise. Thus, it is easy to allow the user to recognize especially important information from a program video distributor or the broadcasting program displaying device, and it is able to make the user pay attention.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in view of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with accompanying drawings.